Mostly About Organized Crime

09/28/2016

Two dozen suspected members of Bloods-affiliated gang Murdaland Mafia Piru have been indicted on racketeering charges for their alleged roles in a sophisticated drug trafficking operation as reported by The Baltimore Sun: "gang members allegedly took over legitimate businesses in the area as bases from which to peddle heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, prosecutors said including a BP gas station," and then "funneled drug proceeds through casinos to launder the money by making it appear as though they had won the money gambling, prosecutors said."

09/24/2016

A federal judge has sentenced Edgar Manuel Valencia Ortega to eight years behind bars for his role with the Sinaloa cartel which supplies 80 percent of the narcotics in the Windy City right under the proverbial nose of U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez as reported by the Chicago Tribune: "Ortega became a significant middleman for the feared cartel, helping to launder millions of dollars in drug proceeds between the U.S. and Mexico as well as negotiate multikilogram shipments of cocaine in Chicago and Los Angeles."

08/23/2016

Jon Ferraro, a Milwaukee businessman who owns multiple ventures including strip clubs, a comedy venue and a bar and restaurant on the city's northwest side, was "indicted last year in a sprawling racketeering case targeting the Russian mob" as reported by the Journal Sentinel: "Ferraro was indicted in federal court in California with seven other men, several in the strip club business, as part of a case involving money laundering and cocaine dealing that stretched from coast to coast and grew to a dozen defendants." Although "details about the California case, which was dubbed 'Russian Laundry,' became public more than a year ago, Ferraro's role in the scheme has not been disclosed," and "legal experts say the fact Ferraro' name has not been publicly disclosed could indicate . . . he could be cooperating with federal law enforcement."

08/18/2016

DEA agents have busted 19 suspects for their alleged roles with the Sinaloa cartel in using front companies to ship narcotics in containers labeled "sea cucumbers" from California to Buffalo, NY as reported by the Daily News: "the Drug Enforcement Administration said the sting netted more than $2.5 million worth of illegal drugs, which included the equivalent of 1.5 million hits of cocaine and 2.7 million hits of heroin," and "the traffickers sent about $20 million from Buffalo-area banks to California in a one-year period."